Rituals, Reverie & Ghia: 33 Questions with Mélanie Masarin

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Mélanie Masarin is a woman who builds with feeling. As the founder of Ghia, she’s reimagined what it means to gather, to celebrate, to connect—with ourselves and one another. Her vision is bold yet deeply personal: an alcohol-free aperitif that speaks the language of joy and ritual.

In this Proust-style questionnaire, Mélanie offers a glimpse into her inner landscape—from the scent of palo santo at dusk to her grandmother’s handwritten cookbook. What emerges is a portrait of a woman who moves with tenacity, dreams expansively, and still finds delight in lunch in the sun.

Here, she answers 33 questions on beauty, ambition, and the small pleasures that make a life.

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1. What is your current state of mind?
   Anticipatory. There's something about summer approaching that makes everything feel electric with possibility.
   
   

2. How do you switch off?
   Complete digital disappearance while cooking—hands busy, mind quiet, the ritual of creating something nourishing.
   
   

3. What is the trait you most admire in others?
   The ability to relinquish control.
   
   

4. Which living person do you most admire?
   My friend Nicolas Jammet, founder of Sweetgreen. He possesses this rare combination of visionary leadership and genuine generosity—plus he's simply the best company.
   
   

5. What is your greatest extravagance?
   I have very big dreams.
   
   

6. What is the first thing that you do when you wake in the morning?
   Hot water with lemon, though I'm always tempted by coffee. It's a small daily choice toward intention over impulse.
   
   

7. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
   Endurance. Sometimes knowing when to stop requires more wisdom than pushing through.
   
   

8. Do you have any daily rituals?
   Evening walks and burning palo santo with a spritz after work—these small ceremonies help me transition from building to being.
   
   

9. What do you most like about your appearance?
   My spaghetti arms—they're delicate but strong, like me.
   
   

10. What does wellbeing mean to you?
    The symbiosis of mind and body in perfect conversation.
    
    

11. What is the quality you most like in a person?
    Directness. There's something refreshing about people who say what they mean, and it’s a quality of people from Home I miss a lot.
    
    

12. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
    "Like"—I'm constantly trying not to say it, but English is my second language and it fills the space while I search for the right words.
    
    

13. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
    My grandmother.
    
    

14. When and where are you happiest?
    By the sea during summer.
    
    

15. Which talent would you most like to have?
    Pure luck. Failing that, I’d like the ability to communicate with perfect clarity.
    
    

16. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
    My impatience and tendency to rush, I'd love to naturally move at the speed of savoring.
    
    

17. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
    Building Ghia and watching my team embrace the vision. There's nothing quite like witnessing others believe in something you once carried alone.
    
    

18. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
    An old olive tree somewhere along the sea
    
    

19. Where would you most like to live?
    I’d love to live in France full-time, but I’m loving splitting my time between NY and Paris.
    
    

20. What is your most treasured possession?
    My grandmother's handwritten cookbook—every recipe holds her voice, her hands, her love.
    
    

21. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
    Jealousy.
    
    

22. What is your favourite occupation?
    The quartet of joy: cooking, swimming, adventuring, surfing.
    
    

23. What is your most marked characteristic?
    Tenacity. I also think that I’m quite funny but it’s unconfirmed.
    
    

24. What do you most value in your friends?
    Spontaneity.
    
    

25. Who are your favourite writers?
    Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain, Roger Vergé, Alain de Botton, the poetry of Pablo Neruda, Miranda July. Reading used to slow me down in the most necessary way as a child—I'm working to reclaim that rhythm.
    
    

26. Who is your hero of fiction?
    Fantomette—my childhood inspiration for independence and mystery.
    
    

27. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
    Is Martha Stewart a historical figure?
    
    

28. Who are your heroes in real life?
    My entrepreneur friends who are also moms. I can’t imagine!
    
    

29. What are your favourite names?
    So many - Dino, Gio, Arthur, Giorgia, Valentina, Lucas
    
    

30. What brings pleasure to your day?
    Life’s small, unexpected gifts: Serendipitous encounters, impromptu hallway conversations, lunch in the sun.
    
    

31. Do you have any products or objects that you can’t live without?
    My laptop :/
    
    

32. Where is your favourite place to wake up in the world?
    My Paris apartment—my own private slice of heaven.
    
    

33. What is your motto?
    How you spend your days is how you spend your life.
    

Photographs 1 & 3 by Kevin Ohana
Follow @melaniemasarin and @drinkghia